Dreaming of Mermen
by OMFGhehehe
Summary: Luneth has a dream about a mysterious merman, but they don't exist, right? What happens when he and Arc go to search for one and actually find one. And Luneth can't possibly fall in love with him, it would never work out.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I've wanted to write some Ingus X Luneth for a while now and it's finally here. This is a bit longer than my others. Please enjoy~!

* * *

"Luneth, where are you?" a boy named Arc cried. He had been all around town searching for his friend who, commonly, disappeared.

It started about a month ago, Luneth would leave without telling him or their parents and then he'd come back in the evening with some lame excuse.

Arc sighed, maybe next time he should follow him. It was dinnertime and Nina and Topapa said they couldn't eat until Luneth was home.

Soon Arc saw a familiar figure heading towards his house. Luneth! "Where were you?" He was determined to get an answer this time, a real one.

"I was, uh, at the bakery smelling the bread," Luneth said a little too quickly.

Normally Arc would just accept his answer, but this time was different. "Uh-huh. So you were there since this morning?"

Luneth nodded and Arc rolled his eyes. As he started to walk into the house, Arc grabbed him. He figured Luneth would be open with him if they weren't around their parents.

"You were there for almost nine hours," Arc said. Luneth looked shocked and then started to think of something to play it off as. "Don't give me any excuses. I want to hear the truth. We are brothers you can tell me!"

"Well-," Luneth began, but Nina came outside. "-There you boys are. Come on in and let's eat." Arc was annoyed that he didn't get to hear what Luneth was saying. Maybe he'd never tell him now. Then Arc realized he was being selfish for keeping them from dinner, and his annoyance faded.

"Tell me later," Arc whispered to his brother. Luneth nodded, but there was no doubt that he was trying to think of something to get out of telling him.

Dinner was rather uneventful although Nina made tatter tots which Arc loved. After dinner Luneth immediately go in the shower. Arc usually showered in the mornings so he waited patiently for Luneth.

"Talk to me," Arc said as Luneth was toweling himself off and getting dressed in the room they shared.

"Okay," Luneth plopped down on his bed and Arc sat down next to him. "But don't make fun of me." Arc nodded. "Promise me." Luneth demanded. Arc promised this must be really embarrassing.

"Well, about a month ago I started having this reoccurring dream…"

_ Luneth was swimming in the ocean by the lighthouse where he and Arc always played. Arc had gone to get ice cream, and Luneth was in the middle of the ocean when he was abruptly pulled under the water by his feet. He gasped for air and he realized he could breath. He saw a man he didn't know with striking blue eyes. Blond hair that was all pushed towards his face and he was very muscular and han- er, handy looking! But what surprised Luneth the most was he had a red tail. He seemed to be calling Luneth to go deeper into the ocean but he wouldn't move… He couldn't move._

"I have been having this dream for a while now, and it's really strange," Luneth said after he finished telling his dream.

"Handy-looking, eh," Arc teased knowing Luneth was going to say handsome.

"Shut up," Luneth snapped as he blushed although his words didn't have any bite. Arc just laughed. "I keep looking for him, but I can't find him."

"Well how about I help you tomorrow," Arc said. He really wanted to see if there was such a thing as merpeople.

"Thanks Arc," Luneth said as he settled down and closed his eyes. Arc went to his own bed wondering about Luneth's dream.

* * *

Arc pulled out his favorite pair of swimming shorts. They were green and looked like the trees of a lush, tropical forest Luneth was asleep, so he decided to shower. After he got out he made sure to apply massive amounts of sunscreen and went to wake Luneth up.

"It's time to go, come on," Arc whispered to his brother. He had to be quiet so his parents wouldn't wake up.

"Okay," Luneth got up and dressed without his usual complaining. Maybe he really liked this merman. Arc smiled at the thought. Anyone else would probably think they were crazy for looking, but Arc always had an open mind.

They arrived at the beach and went to their normal spot. No one ever went there because of the high rocks that separated it from the rest of the beach. They extended out way into the ocean as well.

The entire morning was spent searching the water, but they had no luck. "We haven't eaten all day, how about I get us some ice cream?" Arc said. Luneth nodded, but he wasn't really listening. He really was serious about finding this guy.

Arc climbed over the rocks and bought two ice cream cones. One was mint chocolate chip and the other was strawberry which was Luneth and Arc's favorites respectively. When he returned he didn't see Luneth. Maybe he was just under the water seeing as they have been searching for merpeople all day. He ate his ice cream and relaxed listening to the ocean waves. Soon he fell asleep.

* * *

When Arc woke up he saw Luneth sleeping next to him. It was also very dark outside. He panicked because he was sure their parents had to be worried about them.

"Luneth, we have to go home!" Arc was absolutely terrified as he shook Luneth awake. Luneth got up and stretched. He looked around confused. "Let's go home," Arc urged.

"I think I saw him," Luneth said. Arc gasped. Is that why he didn't see him for a while?

"What happened?" Arc asked forgetting his fear and becoming curious.

Luneth seemed to try and remember and then he spoke, "I was swimming and, just like in my dream, someone pulled me below the water. I saw the man, but I couldn't hold my breath and when I tried to breathe I ended up choking then I blacked out."

Arc felt disappointed that Luneth had missed his chance but maybe another one would come along. He told Luneth his opinion and Luneth suggested they come back here tomorrow.

"We should get home," Arc said realizing it was pitch black. He couldn't even see Luneth anymore.

"How?" Luneth asked. Arc though for a moment.

"Do you have your phone or any electronics?" Arc asked as he suddenly had a great idea. Luneth responded negatively, and Arc felt disappointed. They couldn't just wait here until morning!

As they both panicked about what to do something bright and shiny washed up with the tide. It illuminated the entire area. They both approached it curiously. It was shaped like a scallop. It had the letters I, N, G, U, and S written on it. What was INGUS?

"This is his," Luneth said. "He had a necklace on his neck and this is it. Do you think Ingus is his name?" That seemed to make sense to Arc. Luneth picked it up. "We can get home now."

They made their way home by the light of the shell and saw their mother and father on the couch.

"Sorry for coming so late," Arc apologized casually as if they hadn't come home at 12:30 in the morning.

"We were so worried," Nina cried hugging both her sons. They assured her they were all right, but they were tired, and she said they'd talk in the morning, so Luneth better not sneak off and bring Arc with him. They both promised to be there in the morning and Topapa tucked both boys into bed.

"Sweet dreams," he muttered as he closed the room door. Arc immediately went to Luneth's bed and asked if he could see the necklace. It seemed to Arc it was just a regular old necklace, but the shell opened up to reveal… Nothing. Arc sighed because he was hoping to find something to help Luneth meet with Ingus once more.

"Well, we'll go back tomorrow after breakfast," Arc decided. He hoped they'd be able to find Ingus again.

"Okay," with that being said, Arc returned the necklace and climbed into bed. Sleep soon overtook both of them.


	2. Chapter 2

"Where were you?" Sara screeched. Ingus had just got back from who knows where, and he'd missed her singing practice!

"I got lost after scouting the area," Ingus lied. He'd lied to her so many times now that he didn't think anything of it.

"Well my last practice before the concert is tomorrow, so you better not miss it because if you do I'll have you locked up." Sara was tired of Ingus ignoring her. What if he was secretly seeing another girl? She was determined to follow him and skip her practice if he misses it. Then she'd now what was really up.

"I'll see what I can do, I'm really sorry." Ingus said. With that he left and went to his private cove. He sighed in relief once he got there because he was happy to have gotten away from Sara. She was certain she'd marry him, but he didn't even like her. She always gave him gifts like the necklace he wears. But apparently it was actually a gift from his mother.

He always kept it on, even when he went to bed. He grabbed for it when he noticed it was missing. Where could it have gone!?

"Damn it," he cursed, and he went to retrace his steps. He had to find his necklace. It was his only memory of his mother.

Ingus searched for hours with no avail. He was disappointed beyond belief. That was his most cherished item, and he lost it. It seemed like meeting the boy of his dreams no longer matter anymore.

He went to bed that night feeling devastated until soon he fell asleep, and he dreamt of the boy, but one thing was different, he had on the necklace he'd lost.

"Maybe he really does," Ingus thought to himself when he awoke. He hoped so. Then, he could go see him today. He hurried off. The practice was the last thing on his mind.

Sara saw him leave. She'd gotten up early and told her father she wasn't feeling well, so she'd have to miss practice.

Now, this was her chance to figure out where Ingus was going. "I'll find out and make sure you pay for it. Whoever you are secretly seeing will die!" She cackled evilly.

She followed him until he got to a beach. Once there he surface and jumped onto a rock. Sara didn't want to go to the surface because it was forbidden, but she wanted to find out why Ingus wouldn't show himself to humans.

She peeked out of the water and was relieved at the emptiness of the beach. Ingus was laying sprawled out on a rock, and he was tapping his until lazily until two boys came to the area of the beach. He instantly perked up. Sara did too because she noticed something shiny on the boy's neck. It looked like Ingus's necklace. She noticed Ingus wasn't wearing his necklace. He doesn't have a girlfriend… He had a boyfriend. He isn't interested in me because he's gay!

Ingus looked like he was about to approach the boy, but Sara grabbed him and pulled him away. "Sara!?" Ingus cried. He was confused about why she was there.

"You can't interact with people from the surface. You of all people should know that! You are a guard for Sasune's Kingdom!" Sara scolded. Ingus was about to say something but Sara put a hand up and stopped him. "Don't make up pathetic excuses. I know that boy is your boyfriend."

"I just dropped my necklace and I'm going to retrieve it. He is not my boyfriend." Ingus explained although he wished he could say that was his boyfriend.

"What were you doing here?" Sara questioned. Ingus grew frustrated because she was acting paranoid and jealous.

"I was on patrol and I ended up here after being chased by a shark," Ingus lied. But, to himself, it sounded convincing.

"Oh," was all Sara could say. She realized she was annoying Ingus so she stopped asking him questions.

"I'm going to go retrieve it so you better go to your practice," Ingus said. Sara left. She wanted to hurry back before her dad noticed she wasn't in bed. She figured there wouldn't be any interactions between Ingus and the boy besides grabbing the necklace.

"See you," Sara swam off. She was happy to get away from the surface. It always scared her that she might get poached.

Ingus made sure she was out of sight before swimming over to the boy in his dreams. He really didn't want to be seen by the guy's friend.

He swam beneath the boy and yanked on his feet so he was underwater. The other male's purple eyes widened in surprise.

"How'd you get that?" he gestured towards the necklace. The boy pointed upwards and Ingus misinterpreted his actions. "The sky?" The boy furiously shook his head and struggled out of Ingus's grasp. He swam to the surface pulling Ingus with him.

"I can't speak underwater," the boy said. Ingus felt stupid and nodded.

"I'm sorry I forgot," Ingus answered. "What's your name and how did you get that?" Ingus wanted to make this quick so the boy's friend didn't see him.

"I'm Luneth and I found it washed up on the shore," Luneth answered. Ingus realized he didn't technically lie to the princess earlier then. "I have to for home for lunch, but will I see you tonight?" Luneth asked. Ingus nodded.

"It'll have to be pretty late," Ingus would have to sneak off so Princess Sara wouldn't suspect anything.

They parted ways and Ingus swam back to Castle Sasune. He met with the King for duty. "Hello Ingus," the King greeted warmly. "Where's your necklace?" the King asked in alarm. Ingus explained that he'd dropped it and now it was lost.

"Ingus," the King said, "your mother left you that necklace. Didn't I tell you not to lose it?" By now, the King's voice had an angry tone.

"I'm sorry. I'm looking for it," Ingus bowed his head. Why was His Majesty making such a huge deal about it?

"Come with me Ingus," the King led him to his private chamber. "I need to tell you a story."

_A long time ago it was decided that the merpeople would hide themselves from the people of the surface. This was done to help stop poaching of merpeople. But, about twenty years ago, a mermaid had an affair with a man of the surface and produced a child. This child had a tail, but he didn't have any gills. So the mother and father both went to many people trying to come up with an answer. Finally the father found an enchantress that would allow the boy to breathe underwater until he was sixteen, but it would cost him his life. He agreed and it was determined after the first breath his child took in the ocean the man would die. After he told his wife; she was devastated. He released the child into the ocean and died on the first breath. The mother wanted her child to live in the ocean forever, so she too, sought out the enchantress. They made a deal to put the mother's gills in a locket so her child could breath. But this meant she couldn't. Easily, she agreed._

When hearing the conclusion to the King's story, Ingus knew that the child was himself. "So why can I still breath?"

"You'll only be able to twenty-four hours upon taking the necklace off…" the King trailed off and Ingus panicked. He only had a couple more hours to live.

He had to find Luneth. But, he couldn't do it alone. "I think I know where the necklace is." The King perked up at this. He didn't want Ingus to die; he was like his son.

"Where?" the King asked. He was hoping it would be easy to get.

"On the surface. It fell off my neck and washed up on the shore," Ingus said. Maybe he could get to know Luneth better if he was on the shore with him.

"Well, I suppose the only way to get it would be to turn you into a human." King Sasune grabbed his trident. "Good luck. At least now I won't have to worry about you suffocating. Please return soon." With a wave of his trident Ingus was transformed and he immediately swam to the surface for air. It was really strange to swim without having a tail.

"Now I have to find Luneth," Ingus told himself. He swam to the shore. He had to work his arms a lot more since his legs couldn't propel him like a tail.

Soon, he arrived at the beach. Some kids pointed at him while mothers covered their kid's eyes. Ingus realized he wasn't dressed like humans normally were so he went to go find some clothes to put on. Finding many abandoned pieces of clothe he knew to be towels; he decided that a creamy colored towel would suffice. He wrapped it around his waist and went to look for Luneth.

"Do you know a man with silver hair" he asked many people until finally someone said yes.

"He's my friend," a red-haired female said. Ingus asked her to lead him to Luneth's house.

On the way there, the girl, whose name he learned to be Refia, asked him questions. "Where are you from?"

He didn't see any reason to hide his origin so he answered simply, "The Ocean." She found this funny and laughed for a couple minutes. Ingus waited for her to calm down before asking her what was so funny.

"You said that with such a serious look on your face," She manager to snort out. Ingus didn't laugh. "So Mister Mermaid-" "-it's merman," he corrected politely. She shook her head and started again, "So Mister Mer_man_ what are you doing on land?"

"Your friend Luneth found my necklace and I need it back," Ingus said. Refia nodded and stopped in front of a house.

"This is it. I was supposed to meet him in an hour, but I don't think he'll mind I came early," Refia walked up to the door and open it. Ingus followed her inside.

"You look pretty dry now so you can drop your towel right there with mine and Nina will wash it," Refia was confused when Ingus refused, and she figured he was just being polite so she yanked the towel off.

The reaction was instant. She hid her face and blushed. "Why aren't you wearing anything!" she screeched. Luneth, Arc, and Nine came downstairs to see what the commotion as about. Nina looked away and shielded both of her kids' eyes.

"I always had a tail. I didn't need clothes," Ingus answered not seeing what the big deal was.

"Luneth go get this young man some of your clothes," she said. She still covered Arc's eyes. Luneth returned with clothes and handed them to Ingus wondering how he could have feet. Wasn't he a merman?

"I don't think they're going to fit," Ingus was about a head taller than Luneth so they didn't fit very well. Luneth got some funds from his foster mom and they were going to go shopping for clothes.

"You're Ingus aren't you?" Arc asked. Ingus nodded. "So how'd you get legs?" Ingus explained the story and Luneth, Arc, and Refia were immediately interested once he talked about enchantresses.

"So both your parents sacrificed themselves for you?" Refia asked. Ingus nodded. She didn't remember her own parents so she was always interested in other peoples.

"Are enchantresses still around?" Luneth asked with a thoughtful look on his face. Arc also knew this to be his plotting face.

"I would imagine so," Ingus wasn't really sure. He'd never seen any before. "If they are then they would hid themselves somewhere secluded and creepy." He didn't know much about enchantresses, but rumors were his grandmother was one.

They were silent the rest of the way to the store. Once they arrived, Refia and Luneth started running around to find the perfect outfit for Ingus. Arc stayed with said man so he wouldn't feel lost and overwhelmed.

"What about this?" Refia held up a blue top to Luneth who crinkled up his nose in disgust.

"Do they have that in red because blue doesn't suit him? Also that style would be better if it was button-up. Find a shirt with buttons," Luneth demanded although it was hard to understand him with how fast he was talking.

"Okay," Refia went back to skimming the rack. Ingus watched because he was fascinated at how people did things. They easily moved quickly without the weight of water.

"I found the pants," Luneth pulled black pants off a rack and Refia held up a red button-up shirt. "Perfect!" Luneth shoved Arc and Ingus into the dressing room.

"Why am I here?" Arc said. He didn't want to watch Ingus dress!

"He probably doesn't know how to put on clothes, so you need to help him," Luneth explained. He was happy he didn't have to help Ingus dress because he probably would've blushed the whole time.

Arc explained to Ingus how to put clothes on, and he was happy when it didn't require watching him. "There, he's dressed!"

Refia had already purchased the clothes, so they left. "So when are you going back home?" she asked. Ingus thought for a moment before answering. "I think as soon as possible King Sasune will worry." Luneth was disappointed by this.

The rest of the day was spent at a summer fair a couple of hours away from town. Luneth had ridden every ride with Ingus and couldn't stand the thought of him leaving.

"You can't head back tonight!" Luneth exclaimed when they arrived home. "There are sharks in the ocean!" After Ingus had taken his necklace back he said he was going to head home. Luneth didn't want to be parted from Ingus. Thankfully Ingus seemed enlightened and decided to spend the night.

"You can sleep in Luneth's bed," Arc said with a cheeky smile as he climbed into his own bed. Ingus crawled into Luneth's bed and didn't seem to feel even the slightest bit awkward.

That night Luneth slept very well snuggled against Ingus.


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm sorry," Arc said. He knew Luneth was looking forward to spending more time with Ingus.

"It's fine. At least I saw him once. That's all I really needed." Luneth obviously lied. He rushed out of the house, and Arc just let him go because he knew that Luneth needed the time alone.

Luneth always thought the cave behind the house was suspicious. Maybe he would find what he had hoped… an enchantress.

The cave was fairly light because of the sun shining from the outside, but no one knew was lie deep inside where it was dark.

"Maybe this was a bad idea," Luneth muttered to himself. He groped the walls trying to find any sign of life in the cave. He was wandering in there for almost an hour.

Finally, he found it, a door. Although Luneth wasn't too sure he wanted to go in there. But, he didn't want this day to be a waste, so he opened the door.

Inside of the door was a young woman sitting behind a table. She looked somewhat like a fortune-teller.

"Are you an enchantress?" Luneth asked feebly. The woman nodded. "I need to ask a favor."

"My dear child, I don't do favors, but I'll do a trade," the woman smirked while she said this. "Tell me what you desire, and I'll tell you what its worth." Luneth gulped. He hadn't brought any money he really didn't have any to begin with.

"I want to be able to live underwater with the merpeople." Luneth wondered how much he'd have to pay. Maybe he would be saving money for years.

"Do you want to be able to live on land as you chose or be stuck in the sea?" she asked. Luneth knew it would probably cost more to be able to switch back and forth, but he wanted to be able to see his family again.

"How much would they cost? I don't have much money," Luneth asked. He was confused when the woman chuckled.

"I don't charge money, child. If you wanted to be stuck in the sea then I'd need the voice of a merperson. If you want to switch back and forth then I'd need the life of one." Luneth's eyes widened. He didn't know how to steal a voice, but he didn't want to take a life.

"Think on it. Come back tomorrow with the payment," the enchantress teleported him out. Luneth started to head home but then stopped. He was finally coming to terms with what he had to do. He headed towards the beach.

* * *

"So you were able to receive the necklace okay?" King Sasune asked. Ingus nodded. "Well that's good. Don't forget about the concert tonight. Why don't you take the rest of the day off?"

Ingus headed back to his cove. He'd really wanted to stay on the surface longer, but he'd forgot that the concert was tonight, and he wanted to get back early in case Sara would come to find him.

Luckily for him, King Sasune hadn't told Sara because the less people that knew the better. She would've thought he was dating Luneth for sure. Although he would really like to date Luneth; he didn't want her to know that! She thought he was going to marry her, and he had no way out of it.

"Knock knock!" he heard an overly sweet voice call. Well speak of the devil. He suppressed a groan as he went out to see what Sara wanted.

"Yes my princess?" Ingus asked.

"You're going on a date with me right now," she stated. Ingus started to protest, but he thought better of it. He didn't have an excuse of why he couldn't. He didn't even ask where they were going; he just followed her.

When they arrived at the destination he was really surprised. She'd led him to the secluded area on the beach.

"Why are we here?" he asked. She smiled before answering, "I thought you'd think it was romantic." Ingus stared at her in disbelief. They were lying on the shore which, by the way, was strictly forbidden.

He heard a rustle in the bush and he turned around. He was surprised by what he saw. Some human rushed out and grabbed Sara. Since they were on the shore, Ingus couldn't do much to stop the attacker. Fleeing was the only option. He quickly went back to his cove. He wasn't going to look forward to the concert later.

* * *

"Luneth anxiously waited for his mother to finish breakfast because he wanted to hurry and leave to see the enchantress. He now had the dead boy of some mermaid outside of the cave hidden in the bushes.

"Okay, make sure you chew," Nina giggled as she set down the plates of food. Soon he was out the door and at the enchantress's door.

"Welcome back. I see you brought the payment," the enchantress greeted. Luneth just wanted to get this over with and see Ingus.

"Can you transform me now?" he asked. The enchantress nodded. She absorbed the boy of the mermaid into a bracelet which she handed to Luneth.

"When you wear this you'll be just like all the other merpeople," she said with a bright smile on her face.

Luneth rushed to the secluded spot on the beach and noted, with great joy, the blood from last night had washed away. Quickly, he swam out into the sea and put on the bracelet. Instantly a tail formed from his legs. Luckily, the transformation was painless.

"I have to find Ingus," he said to himself. He dove under the water and quickly got accustomed to swimming with the tail. Soon, he was approaching a city. Is this where Ingus lives? Everybody in the city appeared to be sad. Luneth wondered why.

"Do you know where Ingus is?" Luneth asked a young mermaid. She turned to him in shock and nodded her head and pointed towards what looked to be a palace. Luneth didn't waste any time swimming over there.

"Can I help you?" a merman with a large spear asked. Luneth shook his head and continued to swim deeper in the palace. Everyone in there seemed to be mourning as well. Finally he reached a throne room where he saw Ingus.

"Hey!" he called. Immediately Ingus turned around and had a surprised look on his face.

"My prince, is this an acquaintance of yours?" a guard asked. Luneth was stunned. He didn't realize Ingus was a prince.

"Yeah, can you give us some time alone?" Ingus asked. The guard immediately left the room. Ingus looked at Luneth with surprise. "How did you get a tail!?"

"It wasn't hard." Luneth said. He wasn't sure that he should tell Ingus that he killed a mermaid. But, he figured that it was no one that Ingus knew. "I just had to kill a mermaid."

"Oh my gosh, you killed Princess Sara," Ingus gasped. Suddenly everything made sense to Luneth. He killed the princess so Ingus became the prince.

"I'm sorry," Luneth apologized. He hoped the Ingus would forgive him, or everything he'd worked for would be a waste.

"It's okay, she was annoying. Now that you are here, you can be my princess!" Ingus pulled him to King Sasune. "I have found the new princess!"

"Really, you found a girl that quickly. Surely you are joking," King Sasune said. He looked over Luneth and realized the new princess was going to be a boy.

"We've been going out for a while, Sara wasn't my type," Ingus smoothly said. The King nodded as he said, "I can see that now. The wedding will be planned. We must mourn no longer; it doesn't do the country any good. Let us rejoice for the new couple!"

"Thank you," Ingus said. He pulled Luneth out of the room. "Isn't this fantastic?" Luneth nodded. While Ingus was talking to the King, Luneth had text his mother and told her the great news. Luckily she had said since it was true love that he could stay there during the weekdays as long as he visited on the weekends. Luneth had never been happier. He was glad he had the dream of Ingus.


End file.
